Destination Report

DESTINATION REPORT EGYPT ©2019 GLOBAL RESCUE LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The information contained herein represents our best understanding of the information presented. Global Rescue do not assume any liability for any errors or omissions and do not guarantee against loss or risk from its use. As a condition for receiving the information, you agree to use the information at your own risk and to hold Global Rescue harmless for any and all loss or damage sustained by you. This material may not be reproduced, distributed, copied or sold, unless expressly permitted in writing. GENERAL OVERVIEW Egypt developed as a civilization more than 5,000 years ago in large part due to its natural resources and geography. The country has been under the control of many empires, the most recent being the British, and it became an independent state in 1952. Hosni Mubarak became president in 1981 and ruled the country in an authoritarian manner until February 2011. Protests that began in January 2011 drew global attention to frustrations with the government, as did subsequent violence between protesters and police forces. Mubarak stepped down from power 18 days after the uprising began. Power was transferred to the military with the aim of transitioning towards a political system based on democratic institutions. Elections took place in June 2012, but in July 2013, the military removed the president from power after massive demonstrations calling for his resignation. A new president was elected in May 2014. With over 82 million citizens, Egypt has the third largest population in Africa. Nearly 90 percent of citizens identify as Muslim, while the other 10 percent are Coptic Christian. The official language of Egypt is Arabic, but French and English are also widely spoken. Local laws and customs are based primarily on Islamic tradition. Egypt is located in North Africa, bordering Libya, Sudan, the Gaza Strip, and Israel. The country has almost 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles) of coastline between its Red Sea and Mediterranean shores. Most of the land is desert, and the country experiences hot, dry summers with mild winters. SECURITY ASSESSMENT Security Risk Rating High Security Risk Overview The security situation in Egypt remains unstable, and levels of civil unrest are high. The Egyptian government declared a three-month state of emergency on 9 April 2017 following deadly attacks targeting Coptic Christians in Tanta and Alexandria. The state of emergency has since been extended until 15 April 2019. Terrorist attacks occur regularly, usually near police facilities, tourist locations, religious sites, and in the Sinai Peninsula. Recent attacks have occurred in areas with high concentrations of foreigners. There is an elevated security risk in areas located in close proximity to Egypt's borders with Libya, Sudan, and Israel. There is a heavy police presence in these regions, and foreigners may be restricted from certain areas. Additionally, the security situation in North Sinai Governorate is unstable, prompting the declaration of a state of emergency and curfew following attacks against government troops in the area. Petty crime and pickpocketing are common. Local laws and behavior are heavily influenced by Islamic ideology. Sexual harassment against females, including foreigners, is a concern. Terrorism There is a high threat from terrorism in Egypt with multilple active groups and a number of attacks in the country in the past five years. Egypt is facing an Islamist insurgency led by the Islamic State's (IS) Egypt branch, Wilayat Sinai. The group primarily operates in North Sinai, where hundreds of soldiers and police have been killed in recent years. These attacks have also spilled over into South Sinai, the western desert, Nile delta cities, and the capital, Cairo. Additionally, judges and other senior officials have been targeted by radical Islamists opposed to President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and to the detainment of members of the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. Terrorist attacks have occurred most commonly in the form of bombings and kidnappings. Attacks tend to occur more frequently during holidays and sensitive events. Police stations, tourist locations, and the Sinai Peninsula have all been targets of attacks. Most recently, at least two security officials were killed and three others were injured in an explosion near the al-Azhar mosque in the capital on 18 February. The explosion was reportedly attributed to a suicide bomber who was trying to run away from police in the El-Darb El-Ahmar district of the capital. Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya is a local Sunni Islamist movement seeking to overthrow the Egyptian government and create an Islamic state. The group renounced the use of violence in 2003 and has not claimed responsibility for any major attacks in the past ten years. Nevertheless, the group continues to be considered a terrorist organization by several Western governments, including the US and the UK. The Sunni jihadist group Wilayat Sinai (meaning the State of Sinai), formerly known as Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (ABM), is the most active terrorist group in Egypt and has carried out multiple attacks primarily targeting security forces, government officials, and Israeli interests in Egypt. These attacks have included suicide bombings, drive-by shootings, the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and assassinations. Wilayat Sinai has also targetted foreign tourists and the Egyptian tourism industry. In November 2014, Wilayat Sinai pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Sunni terrorist group IS, proclaiming itself to be the IS's branch in Egypt. Egyptian authorities have conducted counter-terror operations against Wilayat Sinai, including operations to dismantle have conducted counter-terror operations against Wilayat Sinai, including operations to dismantle apartments used by the group to construct bombs in Giza. On 31 October 2015, a bomb detonated aboard a Russian Metrojet passenger aircraft shortly after departing Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport (SSH), causing the aircraft to disintegrate and killing all 224 people on board. Wilayat Sinai later claimed responsibility for the bombing. The leader of the group, el Gharably, was killed in a raid in Cairo in November 2015. However, the group continues to be active and to carry out attacks, including an attack on 15 February that killed 15 security personnel in el-Arish. Ajnad Misr (Soldiers of Egypt) is a Sinai-based jihadist group that has carried out numerous attacks in Egypt, including in Cairo, since November 2013. While the group has been largely dismantled by Egyptian authorities, the group continues to pose a threat. The militants have vowed to attack security forces in retaliation for the ongoing crackdown on pro-Morsi supporters and the Muslim Brotherhood, which has left hundreds dead. Attacks conducted by Ajnad Misr generally involve small arms and pipe bombs and target checkpoints in the greater Cairo/Giza area. The Hasam Movement, a militant group with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, is also a growing concern in Egypt. The group first appeared in July 2016 when it announced it had conducted an attack that killed a senior police officer and wounded two others in an armed assault in the Tamiyyah district, southeast of Cairo. The group has since claimed responsibility for attempted assassinations of an assistant prosecutor general in late September 2016 and Egypt's former grand Mufti Ali Gomaa in August 2016. On 9 December 2016, the group claimed responsibility for an IED blast near a checkpoint on Al-Haram Street in the city of Giza, part of the greater Cairo metropolis, which killed six police officers. Hotels catering to foreigners and tourist destinations continue to be targets of militant and terrorist organizations. On 28 December 2018, at least two people were killed and 12 others were injured when a roadside IED detonated close to a bus carrying tourists near the pyramids in Giza. On 14 July 2017, two people were killed and four others were wounded in a knife attack on a private beach at Zahabia Hotel in the resort town of Hurghada. All six victims were female tourists. The attacker swam from a nearby public beach to the hotel and was detained immediately following the attack. On 8 January 2016, two assailants armed with knives attacked the Bella Vista Hotel in Hurghada, Red Sea Governorate. Three European tourists sustained knife injuries in the attack. The perpetrators were reportedly attempting to kidnap or take Westerners at the hotel as hostages, and reports indicate that the perpetrators were inspired by IS. The day before, on 7 January 2016, two gunmen on motorcycles opened fire on a tourist bus outside the Three Pyramids Hotel in Giza, Giza Governorate. No one was injured in the attack, which was reportedly aimed at Jewish tourists thought to be staying at the hotel. On 10 June 2015, four people were injured when unidentified terrorists --believed to be affiliated with Wilayat Sinai--attempted to attack the Karnak Temple Complex, a popular tourist site located in the southern city of Luxor. On 16 February 2014, Wilayat Sinai claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing of a tourist coach bus waiting in Taba to cross into Israel, which killed three South Korean tourists and an Egyptian driver. Attacks have increasingly targeted places of worship across the country, particularly those affiliated with the country's Coptic Christian minority. At least one police officer was killed during a security operation to diffuse a bomb discovered in the capital on 5 January. According to local media, the bomb was found near Abu Sifan Church, a Coptic church located in Nasr City. No group has claimed responsibility for the bomb. On 2 November 2018, a least seven people were killed and 12 others were injured when gunmen attacked a bus carrying Coptic Christian pilgrims in the Minya governorate. At least nine people were reportedly killed when gunmen attacked a Coptic church in the Helwan district south of Cairo on 29 December 2017.

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